Inland port idea debated

Port of Palm Beach Executive Director Manny Almira is pushing the concept of a regional inland port that, most likely, would be in his county, south of Lake Okeechobee.

But, port directors in Broward and Miami-Dade aren’t sold on the idea just yet. Neither are freight shippers. Ditto for some environmentalists who say the inland port’s most feasible location – seven miles south of South Bay, in farm country – would conflict mightily with the state’s plan to buy out U.S. Sugar Corp. and restore Lake Okeechobee’s original flow southward toward the River of Grass.

Almira this week presented the broad sketches of the inland port idea at a meeting of the South Florida Regional Business Alliance in Fort Lauderdale. The plan, in the works for a few years but still evolving, is to create a storage and distribution facility – possibly up to 3,500 acres – on rural land. The facility would be accessible by truck, possibly air and, most critically, rail. There wouldn’t be any boat access, making the term “port” a bit misleading.

Almira cited a 2007 study on the inland port that concluded South Florida will need an additional 40 million to 80 million square feet of storage space by 2025. An inland port could help provide this, he said. Additional storage will be needed since the region’s ports are expected to be inundated with cargo around 2015 when the Panama Canal completes an expansion that will allow super cargo ships, particularly from Asia, to more easily access the eastern seaboard, he added.

The study also estimated there would be 500 jobs created in the area for every 1 million square feet of storage – a plus for an area expected to be hit hard by the loss of agricultural jobs when the U.S. Sugar deal materializes.

This week, Gov. Charlie Crist announced a revised deal in which the state would spend $1.34 billion to purchase 180,000 acres of land from U.S. Sugar. But, that deal still hasn’t been finalized.

Port Everglades Director Phil Allen told members of the business alliance that he supports the inland port concept, but there would need to be rail access between it and Port Everglades. Right now, Port Everglades doesn’t have a working rail cargo line.

“Rail access is critical for us,” Allen said.

Felix Pereira, Port of Miami’s chief of planning and grants, also said rail would need to be the main component to get his port fully behind the plan. The closest working rail line is about 12 miles west of his port. And, because of geography, that’s not likely to change.

One idea is to create a working rail line along U.S. 27 starting in Miami and running northwest, close to South Bay. But, this still wouldn’t establish rail lines right at Port Everglades or the Port of Miami. The Port of Palm Beach has a working rail line.

Freight shippers question the plan, too.

“Any stop that a container makes in addition to its destination is going to add additional cost,” said Barbara Pimentel, executive vice president of the Florida Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association in Miami.

Whether by rail or truck, it makes more sense to move freight directly to or from the ports, she said.

Pimentel also questioned Almira’s assertion that completion of the Panama Canal will actually bring more cargo to South Florida. She suggested it might be sent to Panama, rather than Florida, because of the country’s better logistics and favorable trade zones.

There are questions from environmental advocates, too.

John Koch, chairman of the Sierra Club’s Loxahatchee Group, said the preferred site for the port conflicts with plans to restore Lake Okeechobee’s southward flow.

“This inland port would be a tremendous fly in that ointment,” he said.

Then there are the skeptics who wonder how to pay for the port – particularly in a down economy, when cargo traffic is slumping at existing ports. Right now, there are no estimates for how much it would cost.